SAN FRANCISCO /California/, November 15. /TASS/. US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping began their first face-to-face meeting in about a year earlier on Wednesday.

"As always, there is no substitute to face-to-face discussions. I’ve always found our discussions straightforward and frank," Biden said, opening the talks.

The meeting is taking place at Filoli Historic House, a secluded estate in the San Francisco Bay Area. Biden and Xi are meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit currently under way in San Francisco.

Biden greeted the Chinese leader and the two presidents shook hands. A reporter from the White House press pool asked Biden about the signal that he was planning to send during the talks, but the US president gave no answer.